Free Republic

New York residents beginning in June will have the option to select a gender-neutral “X” gender marker on their driver’s licenses, birth certificates or other identification documents, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) office announced Friday. Transgender New Yorkers will also be able to self-select their gender designation for the first time. “Every person, regardless of their gender identity or expression, deserves to have an identity document that reflects who they are,” Hochul said Friday in a news release. Residents will be able to choose the “X” gender designation beginning June 24, when the state’s Gender Recognition Act goes into effect.

Anonymous alleged “U.S. and congressional officials” told the Wall Street Journal this week President Joe Biden is planning to remove the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a nearly 60-year-old terrorist organization responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, from America’s list of designated foreign terrorist groups. The FARC, a communist group, has been responsible for a wide variety of human rights atrocities in Colombia since its founding in 1964 that include mass killings, kidnappings, child rape, forced abortions, the use of child soldiers, and one of the world’s most lucrative drug trafficking operations. The government of then-President Juan Manuel...

The US has issued its first-ever passport with an “X” gender designation — in what advocates have praised as a historic win for non-binary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people. The unidentified traveler was allowed to choose an “X” instead of an “F” or “M,” for female or male, in the “sex” section of the federally issued document, the State Department announced Wednesday. “I want to reiterate, on the occasion of this passport issuance, the Department of State’s commitment to promoting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people — including LGBTQI+ persons,” Ned Price, a spokesman for the department, said in...

The US State Department announced today that it has added three chapters of Ansar al Sharia, as well as three of the groups' leaders, to the government's terrorist designation lists. Ansar al Sharia groups in Benghazi, Derna, and Tunisia were designated as foreign terrorist organizations, as well as specially designated global terrorist entities. The three Ansar al Sharia leaders, Sufian Ben Qumu, Ahmed Abu Khattalah, and Seifallah Ben Hassine (a.k.a. Abu Iyad al Tunisi), were also added to the list of specially designated global terrorists. Ben Qumu is described as "the leader" of Ansar al Sharia Derna, while Khattalah is...

Note: The following text is a quote: Official Explains Approach to Climate Change, Energy By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 21, 2010 – Developing a deliberate approach to energy and climate change is an important platform to national security and the U.S. military mission, a senior Defense Department official told members of Congress here yesterday. Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about the Pentagon’s take on the California Desert Protection Act of 2010. The proposal, introduced to Congress in...

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel received an earful from Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch on Friday, one day after a leaked administration memo indicated the president was considering naming two new national monuments in the state. Hatch's office said the senator called Emanuel to complain about the potential unilateral action and Emanuel promised to provide an official response after consulting with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. "I made very clear to him that if the Administration goes down this road, it will meet absolute outrage and opposition from across the state and from me representing Utah in the United States...

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Officials and residents here are taking issue with the results of a magazine study that ranked their city as one of the nation's fattest. Men's Fitness named San Jose as the country's 24th fattest city, behind San Diego, Fresno and Philadelphia. Chicago won the designation as the fattest city, followed by Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Dallas. David Vossbrink, spokesman for San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, disputed the results, saying the nation's 10th biggest city is no different from other locations across the country. The 54-year-old mayor does his part to keep the city off...

Russian designations of aircraft and missies Russian aircraft designationsFrom rec.aviation.military FAQ by Ross Smith In the 1920s and 1930s, many different designation systems were used for Russian aircraft; the People's Comissariat of Defence had its own system, and each manufacturer had another, usually based on the initials of the designer or organisation (for example, A N Tupolev's ANT-6 was also known as the TB-3). Prefixes used included: A = Autogyro ARK = Arctic coastal reconnaissance B = Bomber BB = Short-range bomber BSh = Armoured attack aircraft (Sh = Shturmovik) DAR = Long-range arctic reconnaissance DB = Long-range bomber...